By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
South Africa has ambitions to re-invigorate its nuclear industry, with the 2025 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) suggesting that this industrialisation plan will determine the merits of 10 gigawatts of new nuclear generation capacity.
Cabinet has officially approved the lifting of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) nuclear technology from care and maintenance.
“This decision provides the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) with a legal basis to engage with potential international partners and investors for the revival and further development of the project, “Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said in a post-Cabinet briefing.
South Africa halted its PBMR research in 2010 after spending more than 10 billion rand and before building a planned demonstration model.
Ntshavheni said the decision would also enable Necsa, which had since been selected to oversee the PBMR, to build on the progress already made and scale the project accordingly.
State-owned power utility Eskom currently operates the continent’s only commercial nuclear power station near Cape Town. Egypt is building its own plant, while countries including Namibia, Niger and Ghana are exploring nuclear options.
The long-term plan is for South Africa to become the leading supplier of small modular reactors (SMRs) to ultimately re-fit decommissioned coal-fired units, and off-grid applications including large power users and smaller grids across Africa,” she added.
The IRP outlines 5.2 gigawatts of new generation capacity by 2039. Renewable energy is projected to account for more than half of this, as the country seeks to reduce its dependence on coal.